By way of the primary 5 weeks of 2026, there was little or no time for Juventus gamers and coaches to gather their collective breath. That’s very true of those previous few weeks the place midweek fixtures have been a relentless and Luciano Spalletti has had maneuver by issues in a number of competitions whereas having a squad that isn’t precisely flush with depth.
In order Juventus hit their final fixture earlier than they get — gasp! — almost every week off in between video games, we’re left to marvel simply how a lot the Bianconeri have left within the tank after their (late) midweek Coppa Italia disappointment in Bergamo.
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Because the second Derby d’Italia towards league leaders Inter Milan looms within the distance every week from now, the instant take a look at comes towards a Lazio squad that has seen loads of frustration filter all through the membership each earlier than and through the 2025-26 season. Sunday evening’s matchup on the Allianz Stadium comes towards an opponent in Lazio that with a 1-0 victory over Juventus on the Stadio Olimpico in Rome. So much has occurred in November, December, January and the primary week of February since Juventus final confronted Lazio, ousted Tudor and subsequently introduced in Spalletti. Lots of it has been good, however there’s been a good quantity of these “not nice” moments we’ve seen a very good quantity of the time from the Bianconeri over the previous few years.
The newest of that, no matter the way you felt in regards to the remaining rating in Bergamo, got here on Thursday evening within the quarterfinals of the Coppa Italia towards Atalanta, the second straight season that Juve have been bounced at that stage of the competitors. (The primary time since such an incidence has occurred since 2011, by the best way.)
So all of three days after being eradicated from the Coppa, it’s now time to face a Lazio squad that has seen a couple of adjustments occur over the course of the winter switch window after their summer time embargo prevented them from doing any form of enterprise. Lazio enter Matchday 24 sitting in eighth place and nicely off the tempo for a European qualification spot.
Nonetheless, right here’s one thing necessary to recollect in the case of this matchup:
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Juventus, following their Coppa Italia quarterfinal towards Atalanta, final performed on Thursday.
Lazio, in the meantime, has but to play a recreation in February, having final taken the sphere of their wild 3-2 win over Genoa on Jan. 30.
So, go forward and do the fast math, of us. Come Sunday, Juventus can have final performed three days in the past. Lazio, although? Effectively, they final performed 9 days in the past. 9! That’s almost every week and a half price of relaxation. That’s almost every week extra of relaxation than the group they are going to be enjoying on the Allianz Stadium. Juventus can have performed two full video games for the reason that final time Lazio performed.
Ah, Serie A scheduling. At all times essentially the most logical and type set of oldsters who determine all of this out.
Contemplating Juventus are quick on depth even when they’re full power, it’s not like Spalletti has an entire lot of choices to select from. Even with so many video games during the last three or 4 weeks, Spalletti hasn’t performed a lot rotating his squad. All of his greatest gamers, irrespective of what number of minutes they’ve had on their leg earlier than 2026 arrived, have performed nearly all of the minutes. We’re nonetheless ready for Pierre Kalulu to truly not play a full 90 minutes this season — and we’re getting into the third fixture of February.
That looks like virtually as a lot of a take a look at as going through a determined Lazio itself. Simply how a lot that Juve have within the tank getting into Sunday evening’s recreation goes to be an actual key level of emphasis to concentrate to because the minutes tick away each earlier than and after halftime on the Allianz.
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Lazio are mainly in the identical place within the desk now as they have been after they confronted Juventus the primary time. Even after beating Juventus on Oct. 26, Maurizio Sarri’s squad was sitting in tenth place. Now, sitting in eighth, they’re virtually near being a part of a relegation battle (17) as they’re to being even with Juventus in fourth (15). Lazio’s away kind has been mediocre at greatest all season, with Serie A juggernauts like Sassuolo and Udinese having extra factors than Sarri has recorded away from the Olimpico within the 2025-26 marketing campaign to this point.
The kicker in all of this: Regardless that they sit eighth within the desk, they’ve scored the seventh-fewest quantity of targets (24 in 23 video games) this season and simply bought considered one of their higher strikers, Taty Castellanos, to West Ham final month for a reported €29 million. (Which, actually, looks like a reasonably good return for Lazio and their accounts.)
Even with the loss to Atalanta midweek, Juventus have been enjoying nicely on the entire. Now they’ve a still-inconsistent Lazio squad coming to Turin as each groups look to get an necessary three factors for his or her respective targets. With no extra Coppa Italia, solidifying their spot within the high 4 would possibly in all probability turns into much more of a precedence for Spalletti than earlier than. They acquired the assistance they wanted from Udinese earlier within the week towards Roma and now have fourth place all to themselves.
It’s now about what they do with it. Can Juventus maintain it for themselves, or will this be one other slip-up that makes the Coppa Italia quarterfinal loss look greater than only a one-off towards a very good like like Atalanta.
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TEAM NEWS
Spalletti, not like forward of Thursday evening’s go to to Bergamo, did maintain a pre-match press convention on Saturday. The truth that he’s just about choosing and selecting when to truly converse to the Italian media earlier than video games is making me giggle a bit bit. (But in addition makes this part a bit tougher to do.)
After not collaborating in Thursday’s loss to Atalanta within the Coppa Italia, Spalletti confirmed that Kenan Yildiz and massive smile because of his model new contract will return to the lineup to face Lazio. Yildiz requested to be subbed off at halftime in final weekend’s win over Parma because of a minor overload problem that was possible the results of fatigue of his heavy workload this season.
Spalletti mentioned that each Francisco Conceição and Lloyd Kelly have educated individually following Thursday’s loss to Atalanta within the Coppa Italia and want additional analysis to see if they are going to be able to enjoying in Sunday’s recreation towards Lazio.
The 2 certain bets to overlook out on Sunday evening’s recreation are the 2 names who’ve been ever-present on the damage checklist for a few months now: Dusan Vllahovic and Arek Milik.
Vlahovic has, nevertheless, reportedly returned to Continassa this week and began the ultimate steps of his rehab program that can hopefully have him again within the squad in early March.
Two Juventus gamers are one yellow card away from having to serve a one-game suspension: Manuel Locatelli and Weston McKennie. Contemplating Juventus’ subsequent opponent in Serie A is Inter, this looks like an necessary factor to recollect for each gamers who’ve been key items to Spalletti’s success at Juventus.
JUVENTUS PLAYER TO WATCH
Contemplating the truth that Spalletti has gone with a whole lot of the identical gamers in his latest beginning lineups, I used to be going to go forward and discuss a sure French midfielder who has had a few off video games simply when it appeared like he was beginning to kick on form-wise.
Then any person went and signed a brand new contract.
So if you mix that with the easy incontrovertible fact that Spalletti mentioned Juve’s No. 10 will probably be returning to the lineup, it feels solely proper that we discuss in regards to the brightest of vivid stars at present carrying a Juventus jersey.
Yildiz was part of the touring squad to Bergamo forward of the Coppa Italia quarterfinals. He was on the bench. Heck, he was even warming up through the second half and looking out he may even be a late sub earlier than issues acquired utterly out of attain and Atalanta went on to stretch their lead past 1-0. Possibly it was all a part of the plan by Spalletti to try to do a little bit of a deke and make Raffaele Palladino suppose a bit bit greater than he already was.
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However there’s no query as as to if Yildiz will probably be taking the sphere on Sunday evening.
And as I kind this out, I can solely think about what sort of reception he will probably be getting when he’s first introduced or the primary few occasions on the ball figuring out what has simply taken place earlier this weekend in the case of committing his future to a membership that he really loves.
Would seeing Yildiz face Inter subsequent weekend figuring out he was on two weeks price of relaxation be one thing extremely engaging? Oh, completely. This younger man has performed so many good issues this season with a whole lot upon a whole lot of minutes in his legs each week, so are you able to think about what it might be like after a few weeks price of relaxation? That could be a good proposition, however clearly one the place it’s extra for our respective thought processes fairly than a actuality that can play out.
You recognize Yildiz will probably be fired as much as be again on the sphere after lacking out on Thursday’s loss to Atalanta. Plus, he will probably be fired as much as have a big-time efficiency the day after he signed his massive new contract as nicely. The younger man solely be 20 years outdated, however he’s nicely conscious of the second and his place in it. What a greater strategy to say he’s price of mentioned new contract and the massive pay increase that comes with it than to assist Juventus to a giant three factors at a time during which they’re trying to get again on monitor after a troublesome loss.
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One recreation towards eighth-place Lazio gained’t outline simply how worthy Yildiz is of this new contract. However you higher consider he needs to start out this run of his new contract so much like he did with the final one he signed about 18 months in the past.
MATCH INFO
When: Sunday, Feb. 8, 2026.
The place: Allianz Stadium, Turin, Italy.
Official kickoff time: 8:45 p.m. native time in Italy and throughout Europe, 7:45 p.m. in the UK, 2:45 p.m. Japanese time, 1:45 p.m. Central time, 11:45 a.m. Pacific time.
HOW TO WATCH
Tv: Fox Deportes (United States); TLN (Canada); TNT Sports activities 1 (United Kingdom).
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On-line/Streaming: , CBS Sports activities Golazo Community, Amazon Prime USA, DAZN USA, fuboTV, FoxSports.com, Fox Sports activities app, Fox One (United States); DAZN Canada; fubo Sports activities Community Canada (Canada); DAZN UK (United Kingdom); DAZN Italy (Italy).
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